CSB Deploys to Chemical Spill in Charleston, WV

Washington DC, January 11, 2014 – An investigative team from the U.S. Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is deploying to the scene of a massive spill into the Elk River in Charleston, WV.

According to local authorities the leak originated from a storage tank at Freedom Industries – the leak of unknown quantity has left hundreds of thousands of West Virginia residents without clean drinking water.

CSB Chairperson Rafael Moure-Eraso said, “This incident continues to impact the people of West Virginia – our goal is to find out what happened to allow a leak of such magnitude to occur and to ensure that the proper safeguards are in place to prevent a similar incident from occurring.”

The investigative team will be led by Supervisory Investigator Johnnie Banks and is scheduled to arrive in West Virginia on Monday morning.

The CSB is an independent federal agency charged with investigating industrial chemical accidents. The agency's board members are appointed by the president and confirmed by the Senate. CSB investigations look into all aspects of chemical accidents, including physical causes such as equipment failure as well as inadequacies in regulations, industry standards, and safety management systems.

For more information, contact Hillary Cohen 202.446.8094 (cell) or Amy McCormick at 202.640.8945.